2005 Year In Mobile Gaming (Computer Games)
From Sony’s PSP to Nintendo’s three (and counting) current mobile gaming devices, everyone seems to be thinking small. However, the platform that’s packing the most titles is the one you get from AT&T or Verizon.
Once the dependable source for 200 variations of Snake, cell phones now have literally thousands of video games available for download. Most titles cost less than $4 and give you as much play as an old-school Nintendo game. Companies like Gameloft, Jamdat and Macrospace are great at creating original content perfect for the cell phone screen and interface.
Arguably the best software coming out isn’t from the upstarts, but from the people we know and love. Sega has most of its classic line available, from Sonic to After Burner 2, and Super Monkey Ball is its must-have game. EA just started importing its titles, including the latest Madden.
OLD SCHOOL RULES
While cell phone designers such as Nokia and Motorola are starting to get hip to the game – adding little joysticks and spiffy VGA screens to their devices – playing Splinter Cell with your keypad is still secondary to actually making a phone call. To get the most bang for your buck, go for the classic gaming.
For instance, EA’s Madden NFL 06 is a great step in the audio/visual department. The title manages to squeeze digital graphics and sound out of a tiny cell phone. However, if you want mobile fun, you need to cop Tecmo Bowl, which was released by Tecmo in 2004. The colorful graphics and voice effects (Hut! Hut! Hut! Hut!) are there and the straightforward gameplay hasn’t changed one iota. Perfect for a quick game during your commute.
THQ Wireless has been steadily porting Midway franchises like Spy Hunter and Defender to the cell. The best of the lot is Joust, the classic ostrich battle. It holds up surprisingly well after two decades, and the one-screen gameplay is ideal for the mobile phone. The controls are solid, too.
If you’re ready for a hardcore arcade experience on the cell, try Gauntlet. TKO Software’s translation of the Atari’s 1985 dungeon crawler is damn near pixel perfect. Warrior, Valkyrie, Wizard and Elf are available, the mazes are the same, and the voices are intact (“Wizard needs food badly!”). There are only two flaws: no multiplayer and only 25 levels per downloadable “episode”.
LITTLE SCREEN, BIGGER PROBLEMS
The problems with Gauntlet reflect issues common within cell phone gaming. First, even though all cell phone gamers are technically “connected”, few games have direct multiplayer options – simply because the tiny cell phone processor can’t handle it. The games that are multiplayer usually use Bluetooth to connect you to nearby friends, making group interactions closer to Nintendo DS than XBox Live.
Second, aside from the multiple personality N-Gage (known as the “sidetalking” phone), cell phones don’t use cartridges. This severely limits the size of the games, as everything needs to be downloaded through your carrier or the game developer’s website. In 2004, Tecmo did a brilliant carbon copy of the original Ninja Gaiden on the Nintendo Entertainment System, but only could offer the very first stage… of the very first level. As of fall 2005, we’re still waiting for the next episode. Konami’s Castlevania and other classic games have suffered from abbreviated translations.
The final challenge with cell phone gaming, at least from a developer standpoint, is the variety of phone manufacturers. There are two major game formats (BREW and J2ME, a cousin of Java), but each game must be tweaked to make sure it’s compatible with Kyocera, Samsung, Nokia, and all their different models.
THE HOTTEST CONSOLE TRANSLATIONS
Some translations have simply defied these limitations, providing experiences almost as rich as their console predecessors.
The Prince of Persia series, modeled after Ubisoft’s recent next-gen updates, definitely fits in this category. The Sands of Time is a brisk action/adventure that carries the depth of the console version onto the 2D cell. As the game progresses you learn magic powers, find new weaponry and fight enemies that take up most of the game screen. The graphics are gorgeous. The sequel, Warrior Within, looks and arguably plays even better.
Both Prince of Persia titles are by Gameloft, who also brought one of the best known adventure RPGs, Might and Magic, to phones last year. Instead of trying to do a full-scale adventure game (cell phones aren’t ready for that), mobile Might and Magic takes the style of Zelda. The 3D isometric view is at least 16-bit quality, and completing the adventure takes several hours. Perfect for a really long road trip.
The most surprising adaptation is the Tony Hawk series – surprising in that Jamdat had the guts to translate the hit skateboard games to the cell. The results are fantastic. Starting with Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4, the titles follow their console counterparts pretty closely, and yet play to the strengths of mobile gaming devices. Tricks are challenging but eventually intuitive, and the visuals are crisp. The games pack multiple cities and missions into one download, avoiding the episodic content issue altogether.
ORIGINAL GAMES
Two game genres naturally strive on the cell phone: puzzle and strategy. PopCap’s Bejeweled has become the standard cell puzzle game, kind of like Tetris on the Nintendo GameBoy. A lesser known, edgier game is Zuma, a high-pressure title where you must match colored balls that are slowly overrunning the screen. Bejeweled is better for the casual gamer, while Zuma is one to test your arcade skills.
Perhaps the best strategy games series, Macrospace’s Ancient Empires has a great deal of drama and action crammed into a cell phone environment. Part one and two feature epic storylines, but neither drowns out the medieval turn-based mayhem happening on the screen. The game is easy enough to pick up. However, the later levels that implement monsters, wizards and other crafty enemies become quite complex.
WHERE ARE WE GOING?
The upcoming year should be a golden age of cell phone gaming. This year with major console games arriving on the cell, people are starting to take it seriously as another gaming platform. Phone technology is supposed to explode next year (meaning that we’ll only be 5 years behind Japan). Expect this influence to make cell phone games strong enough to attract the hardcore and the casual gamer.
HOW DO I GET THESE GAMES?
There are two ways to download games: through the phone carrier or the game website. Each phone carrier has an online mobile area where you can download new content such as ringtones and wallpapers. T-Mobile calls its t-zones, AT&T calls its m-mode, and so on. Follow your phone instructions to access the online zone. Game downloads will be listed along with other downloadable content. The game cost is automatically added to your cell phone bill.
Individual game company websites can actually send games to your phone. You go to the website, input your cell phone number and it shoots the game to your phone within the hour. Most companies require charging the game to your credit card instead of the phone bill.
CALLOUT: Top Must-Have Games
• Gauntlet
• Might and Magic
• Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
• Tecmo Bowl
• Tony Hawk Underground
SIDEBAR: Phone Fragfest (350 words)
Games are getting up to speed in the mobile phone environment – and fast. Earlier this year the king of all game media, John Carmack, announced that he was working on a mobile video game. It’s called Doom.
Carmack is working with Jamdat on the (tentatively titled) Doom RPG. Despite the name, early reports say that the action is just as fierce as the classic games. In fact, it is being compared to a compilation, combining weapons, enemies and other elements from the three major games in the series. The animation runs at 25 frames per second, a nice pace for a game that fits in your pocket. The game is expected to hit cells this Winter and, as shown by the game title, no multiplayer action is expected.
However, deathmatch is the focus of the other id title being ported right now, Quake. Being produced by Pulse Entertainment, the translation is currently boasting multiplayer modes over several different mediums – including the common cell phone format GPRS – making it easy to reach out and frag someone. Beyond deathmatch, the most impressive aspect is the graphics that almost carbon copy the original game. As one would imagine, all this power comes at a price – some phones can’t handle the power and Pulse is still trying to find a good way for players to download its huge files. The company still plans on making it available soon.
A more practical, but just as exciting alternative is Duke Nukem 3D, the FPS classic being ported over by SkyZone. Another company, SK Media, did the solid side-scroller Duke Nukem Mobile last year, but that was a two-dimensional affair. The new Duke Nukem Mobile 3D has fully 3D-modeled enemies and lush graphics that are almost equal the original PC title. There isn’t a multiplayer mode planned, but with 22 levels being offered, you may not need one. We’ll also have to wait until Winter for this one, though it’ll still be available sooner than Duke Nukem Forever.